


Growing Pains

by dizzaluzion



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 18:39:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15847077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzaluzion/pseuds/dizzaluzion
Summary: Clem, after dealing with personal issues, is back to school from online schooling after two and a half years. We will discover that, attempting to make her way through high school while dealing with relationships, drama, sports, and other conflicts, Clem has a lot in store for her.





	1. Chapter 1

“Check it again, Duck.”  
“Clem, no.”  
“Duck-”  
“Jesus Clem,” Duck said. Pinching the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up his Snapchat, checking for the fifth time if Violet had posted her schedule for the new school year on her story.   
“Not yet, Clem.”   
Clementine groaned loudly and fell back onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Duck fell back next to her and the two shared a brief moment of silence before Clem turned to her side, propping herself up on her elbow.   
“Do you think she’s gonna post it?”   
Duck mirrored her action, sighing. “I don’t know. She’s not really a social media person, you know that.” Clem nodded. The last thing she had posted was from March, and it was the beginning of August.   
“I thought you didn’t care about her anymore, why are you so concerned with what classes she has? Are you still thinking about her?” Duck asked, raising an eyebrow.   
“No,” Clem answered almost immediately. And that was true, she believed. She wasn’t thinking about Violet. She wasn’t thinking about how sometimes when her hands were full she would flick her head up to get her hair out of her face. She wasn’t thinking about how when she doing something that needed a lot of concentration, she would stick her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. She wasn’t thinking about her loud laugh, or her smile that lit up the room. Or how soft her hands were, or about resting her head on her shoulder on the roof of her apartment complex.   
She sighed. “Fuck.” Duck sat up on both of his elbows, looking at Clem. “You need to talk to her-”  
“No, Duck,” she said, firmly.  
“You want things to get fixed between you two, and so does she.”  
“I don’t know that,” she said moving some of her hair out of her face. “And she ended things like- what? Early July? It hasn’t even been that long. Besides, I fucked up. She’s not gonna forgive me.”  
Duck sighed. “Clem, you didn’t fuck up. She probably just wasn’t ready to move on from Minnie.... Nobody is. She doesn’t hate you, you just distanced yourself the second you two had your first fight, and that’s what killed your relationship.”   
Clem sighed. “I know, I know.” She sighed. “It just- it seemed like it came out of nowhere, that’s all.”  
“Then you need to talk to her, and be patient with her. I can’t imagine what she’s going through after losing Minnie, especially now that it’s been a year.”   
“Yeah…” Clem’s voice trailed off. “And that’s why I feel like such an asshole,” she said, sitting up. “I feel like I expected her just to give up on Minnie after, like, ten months. I don’t think I gave her enough time.”   
“She wants to make things right between you two. Louis told me so.”  
“I want to, too. And I don’t want things to be awkward when we hang out with Marlon and Louis. I just don’t know what to say. Like- ‘Hey, sorry you didn’t show up to our date one day which I paid $50 for, and sorry that you broke things off with me over text with no explanation as to why we shouldn’t be a thing any more the very next night after you bailed on me?’”  
“You can’t blame her too much, Clem.” Duck said, sighing   
“She’s just so damn hard to read, is all.”   
“So are you.” Clem sighed and nodded. “Yeah…” the two sat in silence for a few minutes before Duck stood up. “I gotta get going back.” He had ridden his bike to her house after they had went to school to get their schedules a few days before the first day of school. The way the school aligned their schedules, they only had four classes in the day and the next four classes after winter break. “It’s getting dark out and mom doesn’t like me being out at night after… well, you know.”   
“Alright. I’ll see you on Monday.”  
“Yeah- Oh. I’m gonna need my sweatshirt back.” Clem nodded and leaned over to pick it up from a chair next to her bed.   
“I washed it for you so it doesn’t smell like weed anymore,” she said, rolling it up into a ball and throwing it at his stomach. Duck laughed and caught the jacket. “I appreciate it.” he said, pulling it over his head before checking his phone one last time. Clem laid back onto her back, looking up at the ceiling.   
“Uh, Clem?” Duck asked  
“Yeah?” She asked, sitting up on her elbows.  
“I think you and Vi are gonna have a lot of time to talk this year.” He handed her his phone. Violet’s SnapChat story. Clem picked up her schedule from the floor and compared the two.   
Identical.  
Clem sighed, putting her face in her hands. “Fuck.” 

 

(AN: hey!!! i hope you guys are as excited about this as i am to write it, this chapter serves as kind of a "prequel" of sorts so that's why its so short, more, longer chapters coming soon!)


	2. Chapter 2

Before their first day of eleventh grade, like every other first day of school that they had shared since seventh grade, Violet, Marlon, and Louis had all spent the night at Violet’s house. And like every year since ninth grade, Marlon woke up three hours before the very hungover duo of Louis and Violet.  
Violet woke up to the smell of blueberry pancakes, like every other year, and rubbed her eyes, and then her head. She winced as the light hit her eyes, sending pain towards the space between her two eyebrows. As her eyes adjusted to the light and she learned to bear the headache, she turned towards Louis who was leaned back against the bed frame. He had a hand on his stomach and she couldn't tell whether he was awake or asleep until he turned his head to make eye contact with her and gave her a weak smile.   
“Mornin’ Vi.” She shook her head, smiling. She couldn’t remember much of last night, but she did remember that Louis had a lot more than she had. She didn’t get drunk a lot, and when she did she seldom ever got *that* drunk. But her and Louis had made it somewhat of a tradition at this point, and she couldn’t pass that up. As per usual, Violet and Louis had taken the bed for the night, most likely collapsing into it, or being dragged into it by Marlon, and Marlon himself had taken the couch next to Violets bed, on account of the fact that Violet’s twin size mattress had no chance of fitting them all inside, and Marlon was kind of a restless sleeper. He had never really taken part in their tradition, and Violet and Louis were both okay with that. Marlon hadn’t ever done anything like that, and he didn’t plan to, really. He didn’t need to, and Violet secretly kind of envied that. But she shook the thought off as she remembered the pancakes.   
She opened the door of her bedroom and saw Marlon in the kitchen, portioning out the pancakes for the two. She smiled to herself and snuck up behind him, grabbing his mullett and using her middle and pointer finger of her other hand as to imitate scissors, pressing it up against his hair. Marlon jumped at first, but upon turning around and realizing it was Violet, he smiled.  
“How’s your head?” He asked, bringing the two plates of pancakes onto the table. Violet helped him clear out the shot glasses and bottles, putting them in a cabinet above the fridge.   
“Better than I expected, but still hurts like hell.”   
“When’s your mom get back?”   
“Saturday,” Violet remarked, taking her first bite. Marlon’s pancakes were always so good, even though he never liked talking about how good he was at baking. Violet’s mom had a job in a city a few hours away on the weekdays and always came back on the weekends, allowing Violet to do a lot of the stuff she did. They were able to get away with their “tradition” because they usually started school on a Tuesday, and this year was no different. Violet looked down at the two plates.  
“You didn’t make yourself any?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Marlon shook his head.   
“Nah. I’ve got JROTC stuff. I leave in 10,” he said, and she noticed his light green collar to his uniform poking up out of his sweater. He looked at his phone. “Or, rather, in 5.” Violet looked at Louis’ plate and noticed he had two pancakes, while Violet only had one.   
“Why does he get more than me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.  
“Oh, you didn’t have enough for four. Sorry.” Violet smirked.  
“Yeah, but why does HE have to get more?” She teased him   
“Why does it matter?” He asked quickly and defensively, which brought Violet herself to a chuckle.   
“It doesn’t, nevermind. Forget I asked.” She said, shaking her head. Last year, she hadn’t gotten as drunk as she had this year for their “tradition,” and witnessed a very drunken Louis kiss a very sober Marlon. It hadn’t lasted longer than two or three seconds, but it was long enough for Marlon to catch feelings; Feelings that Louis had apparently already had. Or, maybe he didn’t. But it was undeniable that Marlon did, although he *really* did not like to talk about it.   
As if on cue, Louis fumbled with the door handle to Violet’s room before opening it, stumbling to the kitchen table. He plopped down, hand on his head.   
“My brain feels like it’s on fire,” he whined, stabbing into his pancakes. Marlon chuckled.  
“Maybe my signature blueberry pancakes will help,” he suggested, watching him take a bite. Louis smiled.   
“They always do.” Violet rolled her eyes at Marlon’s blush, which they were both sure Louis would not notice. Louis turned to Violet.   
“So Vi, are you excited for your schedule?” To which Violet groaned and leaned back in her chair. “Take a guess.” Marlon, who had learned from Louis, who had learned from Gabe, who had learned from Duck that Clementine and Violet had identical schedules, had told Violet a few days before now. Which, was probably the main motivator for why Violet got as drunk as she did the previous night.   
“Maybe you two will work things out?” Marlon suggested, grabbing his JROTC side cap and putting it on, to which Violet scoffed.  
“Doubt it. I pushed her away. Why would she want to come back?”   
“Because she still has feelings for you?” Louis suggested, to which Violet once again scoffed.   
“She doesn’t.”   
“Dude.” Marlon said, getting ready to leave. “She literally does. Duck told Louis, remember?” Marlon waved goodbye to the others as he stepped outside Violet’s apartment building. Violet sighed and sat back in her chair. How much she wanted to have what she once did back was indescribable. She wanted to smell her vanilla perfume as she buried her face in the crook of her neck as they lay on her bed, their feet tangled. The same bed that she would lay alone in, months later, crying, wondering why she pushed away the only person that could understand what she was thinking at any given moment. She wanted back the night they ran from the police when they were out on the highest hill in town after dark, hand in hand, feeling like they could take on the world. She looked back on that memory and it was so clear that she felt like she could touch it. Like she could run her hands over their faces, coated in sweat but having the best day of their short lives. Like she could still smell the petrichor- rich night as their feet splashed in the muddy puddles. Violet’s own hands were once described as soft, smooth like a stone. In that moment, as she sat at the dinner table, they felt like sandpaper, rough enough to cut diamond. As she wished for these things, Louis’ voice cut through her thoughts.   
“If you want her back so much, why don’t you just talk to her?” The truth was that Violet had tried. The amount of letters she had written, the amounts of texts that she had drafted, the amount of long, convoluted apologies that she had constructed was most definitely too long to even attempt to count. But she could never send them.   
“I guess I’m scared,” she said, staring down at her pancakes, suddenly feeling too numb to eat.  
“If you loved her, then why did you push her away.” Violet dreaded the question whenever it was asked. Because she was too ashamed to answer. But she decided that she was going to try.   
“I… Don’t know,” she admitted, truthfully. “I guess.. I just felt like I was replacing Minnie. It was moving fast and… I don’t want to forget about her.” Louis paused, taking time to think out what he was going to say before he began.   
“Minnie would want you to-”   
“Stop talking about her like she’s dead!” Violet snapped, and for the first time Louis noticed that she had tears in her eyes.   
“Vi-”   
“I know,” Violet said. The truth was, Minnie probably was gone. And although she loved Minnie more that all the words in the universe could begin to describe, she would have to accept sooner or later that she wasn’t going to be found. Louis and Violet stared at each other for a few moments, before hugging each other, and Violet finally let herself cry.   
Violet and Louis both got dressed before Violet took her car and drove to their school, sitting in the car in silence. When they got to the parking lot, they both looked towards the school through the thin layer of fog. Louis grasped Violet’s hand, and she squeezed it and gave him a weak smile.  
“Ready?” he asked her, smiling back. She hesitated.  
“...Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”


End file.
